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Algorithms in C by Robert Sedgewick Recommended

ISBN: 0-201-51425-7       Publisher: Addison-Wesley       Pages: 640pp       Price: £19.95

Numerical Recipes in C by William H. Press & Brian P. Flannery & Saul A. Teukolsky & William T. Vetterling Recommended

ISBN: 0-521-53456-X       Publisher: Cambridge University Press       Pages: 712pp       Price: £27.50.

Categories:   algorithms

Reviewed by Francis Glassborow in C Vu 3-2 (Jan 1991)

Secondly both books deal with a wide range of mathematical and theoretical computing problems though the emphasis is different.

Numerical Recipes in C is almost exclusively concerned with numerical problems (as you might expect from the title). The solitary exception is a chapter on sorting. The authors well understand the needs of the target readership and concern themselves with practical problems of speed and storage space rather than assuming that such matters are never important to real programmers.

They draw attention to such points as C's promotion rules for calculations (in ANSI C the problem of promotion of float to double can largely be overcome by having an appropriate maths library). As an earlier reviewer said, an excellent book. But I would add that it is relatively expensive and not really for those who just want to dabble.

Turning to Algorithms in C, this covers a much wider range of material though in rather less theoretical depth. In this latest version the material is presented in ANSI C format.

It is both a reference book (well I refer to it when I want to know how to deal with a specific programming problem) and a book to study from (it includes end of chapter exercises). Those that know Addison Wesley's price structure will recognise that they are aiming at the student (price under £20).

Once again this is not a book for the dabbler, but for the serious programmer who wants to develop her skills and understanding. For the latter, I would class this book as essential reading. If you are no longer a full time student, you will take several years to come to grips with the majority of the material. Researching the material without this book would take you much longer.

In the meantime, browsing through it and following up whatever catches your interest will definitely benefit you. You will considerably increase your awareness of what can be achieved.

If you want to program seriously, Algorithms in C belongs on your desk, if you need to program numerically then so should Numerical Recipes in C. If you think a graph is what you draw on graph-paper then I do not think that you are ready for either of these books. Algorithms in C might still be worth your while if you are ambitious, willing to work hard and realise that there is a lot to learn that they never told you about at school.

Sedgewick
Algorithms in C++ by Robert Sedgewick [Highly Recommended]  (Reviewed Nov 1992)
An Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Flajolet & Sedgewick  (Reviewed Jan 1997)